Brexit Nutters out in the open

[HairyHaggis]

Corbyn’s team will have been watching all that unfold, they can’t be under any illusions. My take on Corbyn’s speech is that it represents an attempt to shift the terms of the debate around Brexit so that when negotiations fail the failure can be dealt with rationally, i.e. not in terms of xenophobia, post-imperial nostalgia, etc.

that's kinda what i took from it. i would prefer a leader to lead. to stand up and tell the great british electorate that brexit is a pile of horse manure. but failing that, i thought corbyn was attempting to present a more flexible approach, leaving open doors and keeping up bridges to negotiations in the future. these are items that the tory hard-right lunatics want closed off at all, any, costs.

 

[stephen bennett]

That no other EU neighbour has a deal like this doesn’t immediately invalidate the proposal, I’d have thought.

You must also accept that May's similarly speculative proposals are also possible then.

The EU has consistently said what the deals on the table are and both party's proposals are not there.

I hope May does pull a rabbit out of the hat—I'm not holding my breath.

Stephen

 

[Seanm]

You must also accept that May's similarly speculative proposals are also possible then.

The EU has consistently said what the deals on the table are and both party's proposals are not there.

I hope May does pull a rabbit out of the hat—I'm not holding my breath.

Stephen

I think this assumes a stability that just isn’t there. I don’t believe there is anyone who can say what’s on the table with absolute authority. So to frame this in terms of possible/impossible on the basis of pronouncements from Verhofstadt or whoever is just not that helpful. Much better to think in terms of likelihood. I’m in the dark there really but I would say Corbyn’s approach is at least a little more likely to get some traction than May’s because he’s not talking about striking unilateral trade deals and he suggests a willingness to accept the jurisdiction of “EU bodies”. I would need some better analysis of the current balance of power in the EU, the preoccupations and interests of the various actors, what cards Corbyn has etc.

 

[stephen bennett]

I think this assumes a stability that just isn’t there.

I think we can agree on that!

Stephen